Monster Mash: P is for Psobakka

Something has been digging up the graves and fouling up the corpses. Some nights the graveyard keeper hears a single pair of hooves walking up and down the gravel pathway that winds through the foggy graves and the strangled howl of a wolf. The village priest tells him that is just some of the local boys up to mischief but he knows better. The graveyard keeper locks his door at night. He prays that the trespasser doesn't grow bored of corpses. 

Necromancer's Pet. Psobakka are fiendish creations of evil spellcasters to serve as guards and corpse thieves. As a combination of demonic ritual and necromancy, they are crafted with the tail of a devil, the legs of a horse, the upper torso of a man, and the head of a wolf or jackal embedded with the chaotic yellow eye of a demon in the middle of their head and a jaw full of metallic teeth. They serve their creators, in exchange for souls, by guarding the spellcaster and hunting down more valuable body parts from nearby graveyards.

Anthrophagus Beasts. The psobakka only eat dead flesh. When they kill living humanoids, they often keep body parts as trophies to later be consumed when they start to rot. Psobakka also gain the memories of those they consume. If a psobakka's creator dies, they will consume their dead master and continue to try to carry out his will.

Pack Dynamics.  A powerful necromancer with the proper parts can create a psobakka alpha, a larger and more powerful variant, that often serves as the leader of a pack of psobakka. Psobakka Alpha always tend to be smarter than their lesser counterparts, often requiring multiple brains to function, and have psionic abilities.

Monster Mash: N is for Nuruvilu

Travelers see what appears to be a glowing sword with a gem encrusted hilt in the deep end of the river. A youth swims out to pull the sword up but his hands pass right through it. His companions shout out to him, but it is too late. The powerful muscular form of the nuruvila is wrapping around his body and he hears a chuckle before his shoulder is punctured by a mouth full of fangs. The nuruvila drags his prey to a nearby den but never takes its eyes off of the slain youth's companions.

They will never take a river crossing for granted again.

River Predators. The nuruvila is a creation of some mad wizard or cruel god, resembling a fox that has been given a serpentine form and the fangs to match, but with a twist that sets it apart from creatures like the owl bear; the nuruvila can create illusions to lure its prey or frighten off threats from its hunting ground.

They generally seek out river crossings that are isolated but necessary for a community to cross and will remain there until their prey stops using the crossing or they're scared off.

Bully Illusionists. Nuruvila are not terribly smart but the make up for that with cruelty and a bit of imagination. These creatures are ambush predators that usually attract prey with illusionary traps such as food for lesser prey but they prefer to hunt and consume sentient creatures. Often they rely on greed to get the better of their prey but they are known to also appeal to their sense of duty. Too often does a hero leap into a pool of water saving a struggling child, only to struggle for their own life.

And the nuruvila relishes the suffering they cause. They are known to taunt survivors and many travelers are haunted by the laughter of these beasts.

Cowardly Beasts. Usually, when a nuruvila takes up residence they can be exterminated by brute force or, more commonly, the local shaman will instead rely on threatening the creature rather than engaging it directly. Nuruvila are notoriously cowardly. This can be used to the advantage of unscrupulous villages-- a shaman could recommend that the nuruvila terrorizes the waterway of a rival village or make a deal for the nuruvila to serve as a guardian of some important crossing.

The nuruvila is usually willing to go along with such an arrangement as long as it is well-fed and kept in check by the shaman's threats.

Monster Mash: M is for Mishipishu (Water Panther)

Mishipishu or "water panthers" are creatures feared by fisherman and travelers alike. They greedily lord over stretches of river, creeks, ponds and lakes demanding a toll from all who pass through their waters in exchange for safe passage under penalty of death.

Pay the Toll.
The mishipishu are respected as water spirits by many tribal cultures and secluded communities but they are hardly "guardian spirits". Instead, they are nefarious creatures that take pleasure in playing with their prey-- including humanoids. With humanoids, they demand a toll: if they are hungry, they will demand a tribute of food but, if not, they will demand something precious. If a mishipishu has lived long enough in the same territory it expects a tribute to be placed as soon as humanoids enter its territory and will punish all impudent humanoids that dare to enter their territory. Sometimes communities work out an agreement with a local mishipishu and it will, begrudgingly, guard a waterway in exchange for payment.

They are also known to ally themselves with evil creatures and magic users. They are valuable allies and are considered superior to the inscrutable and alien nature of elementals.

Part Elemental, Part Predator.
Water panthers have many of the same ability as water elementals. They can shift between a solid and liquid form, allowing them to move with an unnatural ease and slide onto offending boats like a rolling tide to attack trespassers. They usually try to capsize these vessels and drown the victims, having no qualm with devouring dead humans, but usually allow at least one member of a party to survive, especially if they seem weak, to spread the word of their presence.

A fully grown mishipishu, or great mishipishu, usually lords over larger territories and often demands large sacrifices. If their demands are not meant, they often dispatch lesser mishipishu, water elementals and other minions to terrorize the locals into paying them respect.

Enemy of Thunderbirds.
Mishipishu loathe thunderbirds and other powerful creatures that share their territory. Their favorite meal is the egg of a thunderbird and a nest full of unguarded thunderbird eggs is often the only thing that can get a mishipishu to travel far from their waters.

Monster Mash: K is for Kinnar

The kinnar are depicted in the tapestries and mosaics of palaces. They are beautiful and enigmatic creatures, resembling fey humans with flowing hair from the waist up and exotic, colorful and long-legged flightless two-tailed birds from the waist down, and they are always a pair: the male kinnara and the female kinnari.

Created By Love.  Kinnar are often hunted by fey who either despise their beauty or goodness, desire their feathers for fashion, or wish to capture them to perform. They are usually difficult to catch, as they don't require food, water or even sleep, instead meditating in each other's embrace for brief stints under the night sky.

Kinnar are love-sick creatures obsessed with their mates from the moment they meet. They are literally created in the the Twilight Realm of Dawn from feelings of unrequited love. Due to the fey lords sending hunters after them, the kinnar often escape to the relative safety of the material plane where they are legendary.

The shy and cautious creatures generally avoid humans. They live in remote jungles and forests away from prying eyes. But they have a weakness that lures them from safety towards other creatures. Kinnar are attracted to burgeoning love.

Drawn to Love.  Kinnar can detect romantic thoughts from a long distance. When they detect these thoughts, they are attracted to the scene. If the love is strong enough, they are drawn to it like a magnet and cannot resist. They seek the young couple out and, if they appear to be alone, the kinnar will perform a ritualistic dance and sing for them. In many couples this is believed to be a powerful blessing and it is considered bad karma to ignore the endorsement of two lover's romance by the kinnar. After performing, they will usually return from whence they came.

Sometimes their desire to witness romance is used against the kinnar.

Exotic hunters who specialize in catching the most exotic creatures will attract the kinnar by throwing parties for the young or bringing a new couple close to the area where the kinnar have been sighted, so that they can set up a trap. They then capture the kinnar and sell them to wealthy nobility that would keep them for entertainment. They are valued as divine creatures by many cultures and their performances are said to have many magical qualities. Their dance is often their best defense as it usually charms creatures that see it for the first time long enough for the kinnar to escape but there will always be hunters who find ways to counteract the effect.

Til Death Do Us Part. Hurting the kinnar is considered extremely bad karma and killing a kinnar is a terrible act. If one kinnar of a pair is slain, the other kinnar will go mad. It will sing a song that has been known to kill and attack the responsible party, and all around it, until it literally collapses and dies of a broken heart.

Monster Mash: K is for Karkinos!

The legendary karkinos is best known for its role as an emissary of various sea gods sent to waylay a hero on his quest or destroy a city that has earned their wrath. Inevitably, the beast is slain and the journey continues or the city makes amend and the beast returns to the sea. These creatures are mysterious, practically immortal and undeniably powerful.

Kings of the Crustaceans. The karkinos are giant crabs that spend most of their time rest in the depths of the deepest seas and oceans or burrowed into the ground. They are capable of hibernating for centuries until stirred but when they do awake from their slumber they are a sight to behold. These mighty behemoths stand tall over giants and only the mightiest of dragons can compare in size or might. They can easily trample cities that lay in their path and entire armies falter under its blows.

Misunderstood Myths. Despite their size and might, karkinos are not typically as destructive as other creatures of their size. They are simple and even timid creatures that attack in self-defense or as directed by the oceanic gods. Despite being manipulated into acting as machines of war by some evil creatures, such as mindflayers, karkinos seem to want to be left alone. They do become especially aggressive when other enormous creatures invade their territory and for this reason some clever civilizations have built their forts and cities on the backs of these beasts to ward off threats that are beyond their capabilities.

Monster Mash: J is for Jerff

The jerff is a large spotted ermine beast found in the forested mountains of the Hold and the bordering territories. They are a paradox and the paradox hinges on the fullness of their stomach: when sated they are friendly and curious creatures but when hungry they become savage beasts that attack and eat more than they need.

"Feed the Jerff... The jerff are harmless when well-fed. They are omnivores and, as long as they can find plenty of insects, fruits, and small prey, are happy to make friends with other animals and humanoids. They are fluffy creatures that enjoy gamboling and playing with other creatures, surprisingly smart and quick-to-learn, and are a favorite animal of wood elves. Elves recommend that traveling parties befriend and feed a jerff. It will then follow you to the edge of its territory, which can span several miles, warding off threats, and even try to warn travelers off of dangerous paths with pitfalls. But the elves remind you to feed it well and often, especially if it is already drooling, as this is a sign the beast's territory has scant food, because if you don't, the jerff will turn on its friends in a mindless and ravenous rage.


... Or Be Eaten." The jerff is a creature with an extremely large appetite and an unfortunately large hypocampus that overrides their senses when they can't find enough food. When this happens, the jerff's kind eyes become dull and predatory, it drools and grumbles, and it sniffs at the air for any hint of food. They lose control and attack the nearest sources of food. They use their powerful claws and bites, knocking them aside with their whipping tails, and slay their prey so that they can gorge. When this hungry, the jerff will eat until it becomes sick with fullness.

Round As A Barrel. If food is placed before the jerff, hungry or full, it will eat it. It has no self-control. It will eat until it becomes sluggish, falls into a stupor, and collapses. When this happens, the jerff will usually first dig out a small burrow with its massive claws between two close trees to prevent itself from rolling down the mountainside in its sleep.

Monster Mash: D is for Dactyli!

Few creatures have the same sort of old wives tale feel to them as the "little people"; there are countless stories of diminutive fairy folk that live in the walls and under the floorboards, like mice, and come out at night to steal away food and trinkets. It's a whimsical excuse for the disappearance of valuable odds and ends from socks to jewelry to the last piece of cake that are, more than likely, the result of bad memory or filching servants or midnight cravings.

But, in a fantastic setting, all fables and myths have a little truth in them. And the little people are real.

They are called the dactyli or "finger-folk" and they are split between three tribes: brownies, duende and fenodyree.

Brownies, duende, & fenodyree.

Brownies are considered to be the "domestic dactyli" subspecies. They are also called "house elves" because they like to live in the homes of humanoids.

Brownies make their homes, carefully, hidden away under the floors or in the walls and, much like the fairy tales, and only come out at night to steal away small things to feed themselves or improve their homes. While this might seem to be the tendency of a pest, brownies are considered good luck by the wise because they keep out vermin like rats and spiders. Furthermore, the stories of brownies fixing shoes and leaving coins on bedside tables are not inaccurate. They usually prefer to stay to themselves and to be allowed to go about their little lives. A brownie doesn't want to cause too much trouble for their housemates.

Each brownie is about four to six inches tall and resemble humans, though they often have exaggerated features, and wear elaborate clothing stitched together from bits of this and that stolen from the household above. Their clothing often says a lot about them. They are craft creatures and are capable of making small machines and gadgets that help them get around the home unnoticed.

If they have a choice, though, brownies prefer the homes of gnomes and elves, who are less superstitious than humans, and have been known to befriend them. In some elf and gnome communities, they even help build little homes for the brownies and cooperate with them. In exchange, brownies keep an eye and ear out for trouble.

When threatened by the residents of a home, they will turn to the wild for safety and have a way with small animals.

Duende are pests.

While brownies try to go unnoticed, duende like to irritate or frighten larger humanoids or "biggins" as they like to mockingly call them. They make messes, break and steal valuables, make noises, invite in vermin (who they also enjoy preying upon), and generally stressing their housemates out. To be frank, duende give their kin a bad reputation.

These foul sprites are the smallest dactyli, standing around three to four inches tall, with exaggerated fey features and bitter little eyes. They prefer to dusty attics and dank basements, riding spiders and rats to get around faster, and steal more precious materials and jewellery to make their ornate outfits.

They particularly dislike their kin and go out of their way to run any brownies or fenodyree out of their territory.

Fenodyree are even more reclusive than their smaller kin.

Fenodyree can stand about eight to ten inches tall and are distinctly different than their domestic kin with long faces, furry bodies and tails. They do not like wearing pants, perhaps as a result of their fur and tails, but do wear smocks and robes. Despite their more exotic and animalistic features, fenodyree are the least likely to bother humanoids or animals for that matter.They live in burrows and caverns under the ground, only leaving their homes out of curiosity or to steal vegetables and fruit from local farms and orchards.

While seen as less industrious, fenodyree are known, strangely enough, for being the most artistic of the dactyli. They have a rich story-telling tradition, through art and music, that makes them the loremasters for their species. They even like to tell stories about the above-world but often miss out on details or misinterpret events.

All dactyli like sweets and are capable of small feats of magic.

Monster Mash: A is for Al-Miraj

Unicorns are celestial guardians. They guard sacred forest and offer themselves as mounts to holy champion. They are associated with purity, healing and righteousness.

But they are not the only horned celestial beasts.

In fact, there are many creatures associated with the fey and celestial that all bare the divine horn upon their brow. Perhaps unicorns are the archetype of these creations or perhaps they're just the best known on the material plane, but there are other divine beasts that can be found in the realm. Many of these creatures are so rare they are considered more myth or legend than even a unicorn. These creatures were once more common but have been forced, by hunters seeking their horns, into more secluded territory.

The Al-Miraj is a creature that is often a joke used to scare children from going into dangerous woods or to dissuade superstitious hunters from hunting in woods where they are unwelcome. The Al-Miraj is said to stalk the ancient woods of the world, looking for evil doers, and to hunt them down. A large yellow hare with a long spiral horn for goring its prey and the claws and teeth of a lion for tearing them to shreds is a somewhat ridiculous or terrifying image depending on the storytelling spinning the imagery and the audience. Only a fool would fall for such a story.

But that doesn't mean they're not real.

Predator of Predators. When an Al-Miraj claims a stretch of forest as their territory, usually a sacred or divine forest but, if not available, the first forest that catches their fancy, the first thing they do is seek out the largest predator in the forest and hunt them down.
After hunting down the large predator and slaying them, the Al-Mirahj devours its prey. If they have the time, they prefer to eat their prey from the inside out and particularly savor the heart, liver and other bodily organs of predators over any other animal flesh. There is nothing more unsettling than the sound of a pleased Al-Miraj gorging itself on a bear's corpse. The happy sounds they make have been compared to children's laughter or singing.
Despite their small size, Al-Miraj are apex predators. They are fast, cunning, stealth, fierce and, most importantly, very, very, very deadly. And they might seem a bit greedy. Al-Miraj won't stop with the former apex predator of the wood. If a forest has a disproportionate number of predators, the Al-Mirah will hunt them and thin out their numbers until there are just enough left to balance the ecosystem of the forest.
In fact, this veracity for hunting down and slaying predators is the very reason for their existence.

Sacred but Deadly. The gods have strange ways of bringing balance to nature, when their enemies or unknowing humanoids throw off the balance, and in this case it involves sending a celestial terror to bring about balance in the wood. Al-Miraj are created by nature gods or their druids when their wood becomes overwhelmed with dangerous predators, whether beasts or people, that threaten to wreak havoc on the natural order of their domain. After they finish the job of routing the wood of the threat, they either move onto the next forest that needs their veracity or they claim the territory as their permanent hunting grounds. And yet, they're rare.
This is because, despite their purpose being to dislodge unwanted hunters from the wood, their existence attracts very particular hunters. Their horns are perfect crafting any number of magical weapons, since they're already endowed with magical properties that allow them to slay the hardiest owlbear, and they have a number of alchemical properties. Their coats are also prized for the magic resistance and exotic coloration. They have an inherent weakness built into them: their minds are susceptible to enchantment magic.Therefore, monster hunters merely charm the Al-Miraj and cut away their horn, leaving them to die, and taking their prize with them.
That's why they're so rare.

Enemies of Evil. Despite their ferocious reputation, Al-Miraj are not known to attack the innocent and show little interest in herbivorous creatures. Their preferences to hunt and kill predators are merely their nature. While they may mistake any unmet humanoid as an intruder, they can be reasoned with if they speak quickly about their intentions in the wood. Furthermore, they can easily be convinced to aid a would-be-hero in routing an evil from the wood and, while their solitary predators, they seek out elves and other forest folk when they run up against a threat that they can't handle on their own.
They make for great but short-lived alliances that nobody will ever believe.